Playlis
To introduce his new PlayList column about the best film downloads available on the Internet, Eddie Harrison waxes lyrical about the joys of the smaller screen.
ntertainment' isn‘t something that requires you to
be an iiber geek with a bit torrent jack plug in the
back of your head. The streams on popular sites like You Tube. Google Video or Dailymotion don't require complicated downloads. all you have to do is press play. As a consequence. a useful source for many film watchers has become the Internet. and this new monthly column aims to provide a guide to enjoying old and new films in the broadband era.
Where to begin‘.’ Tom Wolfe wrote of a generation stymied by the largest amount of entertainment choice ever available (and that was before the internet). But now that the mechanism for film distribution has been put into the hands of the masses. the first port of call for many users is to cannibalise or customise their favourite films. So check out The Vader .S'essions (http://www.youtube.com/watch‘.’v=bA()rw(i39]zk. pictured). in which one active fan has re—cut a selection of unlikely James Iiarl Jones‘ audio-clips into the original Star Wars movie to recreate the dark lord as a slightly seedy pimp. wandering the corridors of the Death Star announcing to a stoic Peter (‘ushingz ‘In 1924. I posed for another sculpture. It was a nude. It depicted me singing “Deep River”.
Such irreverence has won over a million viewers for one posting alone. Knock-off postings of streaming sites certainly offer a different bill of fare to terrestrial TV. DVD or video.
This freedom makes possible finds such as long lost masterpiece The Thief and The (hllp://video.googIe.co.uk/videoplay'.’docid=-
40 THE LIST it") i'OIi-i Mar 9007
Cobb/er
‘IN 1924, I POSED FOR ANOTHER SCULPTURE. IT WAS A NUDE'
226304336671973-110] ). The product of three-time ()scar winning animator Richard Williams. it‘s a colourful reworking of various Sufi stories that's very different from any Disney product in philosophy. wit
and imagination. 26 years in the making The Thief
and the Cobb/er has never been issued in the UK in any format. and was previously only available on bootlegs.
Similarly. Rene Laloux's l973 animation l'kmrasrie Planer (http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay‘.’docid=- 3064984200803032304) isn't likely to be showing anywhere near you. ever. unless you want to key it up. A deeply trippy story of a human girl who finds herself kept as a pet by a race of giant aliens. it‘s been re—scored with experimental music soundtrack. although you might just as well contribute your own.
At a recent New York forum of film critics. who had gathered to discuss their top ten films of the year. it was agreed that material viewed on the net was just as eligible for consideration as those in cinemas. If even famously luddite critics can get the point. then the Internet has officially come of age as a legitimate medium for cinematic enjoyment.
So what do you want to watch today? How about the long difficult-to-get-hoId-of l‘)78 TV film The Star Wars Holiday (http://www.youtube.com/watch'.’v=asnVcbWQch).
Truly. it needs to be seen to be believed. Press play to
begin.
PlayList will begin in The List’s 15 March issue.
Special ;
Ilit >l<
THE BEST FILM & DVD RELEASES
II: Science of Sleep Filmmaker Michel Gondry asserts himself as the natural heir to Jean Cocteau with this fantastical and surreal French comedy. See feature, page 22, and review, page 42. Selected release from Fri 16 Feb.
* Glasgow Film Festival Ten days of brilliant movies. Highlights include Shane Meadow’s This is England, the FrightFest one day horror festival and of course The List Surprise Film. See index for individual film information or visit www.glasgowfilmfestival.org.uk GFT, Glasgow and selected venues from Thu 15 Feb.
3|! Casablanca Immaculate new digital print of this evergreen classic. See review, page 43. Fi/mhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 16 Feb-Thu 22 Feb. * The Good Shepherd Robert De Niro’s impressively underplayed history of the CIA as reflected through the prism of one man ’3 life. See review, page 43. General release from Fri 23 Feb. Also at Cinewor/d Renfrew Street, Glasgow on Mon 19 and Tue 20 Feb as part of Glasgow Film Festival.
* Into Great Silence Low key and meditative documentary about life inside a silent Carthusian monastic Order in France. Patience is required. See review, page 41. Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 16- Thu 22 Feb only.
* Letters from Iwo Jima The second part of Clint Eastwood ’s accomplished WWII cycle focuses on the Japanese perspective during the pivotal battle for Iwo Jima. See review, page 41. General release from Fri 23 Feb. Also at Cinewor/d Renfrew Street, Glasgow on Sat 17 & Sun 18 Feb as part of Glasgow Film Festival.
alt Norman McLaren: The Master’s Edition Near definitive collection on DVD of this extraordinary Scottish/Canadian animator’s work. See DVD roundup. Out Mon 23 Feb (Soda).